Get Your Game Plan Ready – Know What’s Recyclable and What’s Not

Jan. 22, 2014 -- Help CNM make a run at a 2014 RecycleMania Tournament title while also lending a hand to the environment. More than 600 colleges and universities from across the U.S. have entered the recycling competition, which begins Feb. 2.

Jul 17, 2015

Each week during the two-month competition, the amount of material recycled from all CNM locations will be weighed by Waste Management and reported to RecycleMania, which will keep weekly standings for competing colleges and universities. CNM will be competing against other community colleges from around the country. The winners will receive trophies made out of recycled materials.

During a trial run for a one-week period ending Jan. 11, Waste Management reported that CNM had a total of 45,466.5 pounds of waste -- 24,811.5 pounds was designated for recycling. CNM will be hoping to significantly increase the pounds of material designated for recycling when the competition starts.

CNM’s participation in RecycleMania is part of a larger effort to increase and track the college’s sustainability efforts.

“We’re hopeful that RecycleMania will help our students, faculty and staff get even more excited about the impact they can have on protecting the environment and increasing sustainability,” said Luis Campos, executive director of CNM’s Physical Plant.

Beginning Feb. 2, the first day of the competition, CNM will have installed new recycle bins in various locations at every CNM campus. Any approved recyclable material can be placed in the new recycle bins. Currently, CNM recycle bins require people to place aluminum, plastic and paper in separate bins. That process won’t exist starting Feb. 2 – recyclables will be sorted at the Waste Management New Mexico plant. Please refer to the image in this email for items that are recyclable at CNM and the items that are not.

During the RecycleMania Tournament, CNM will offer various workshops and events to help inform people about the value of recycling and sustainability. Look for future communications about these events.

Halfway through the RecycleMania competition, one day’s worth of trash from Main Campus will be piled high in a parking lot yet to be determined to create “Mount Trashmore.” Willing students will be able to sort through it in protective clothing, separating recyclables from waste, to demonstrate the amount of recyclables that end up going to a landfill instead of recycling plants.

Keep an eye out for more RecycleMania information coming soon. And get ready to join your fellow CNM students, faculty and staff in competing against other colleges in a unifying movement to protect the environment and the planet!